So I Noticed
by GokaiYellow
Summary: She caught Minho's eye. He should have felt weird talking to his clone in girl form but some how, it just feels right… "Cute Girl" Minho talks to in the berg from The Scorch Trials was reimagined as Minho's Group B counterpart (Her name comes from the Korean independence activist named Maria Kim.) Cross posted to tumblr.


It was the swish of her machete breaking the bulbs on the creature near him that made him notice her for the first time. He had been attentive in dealing with the one standing before him but the motion caught his eye. He lost sight of her when they boarded the Berg and split off for showers. As they ate, he glanced around casually, trying to pick her out of the mix of Gladers and Group B girls.

"Think we're really going some place safe?" Newt asked at the table.

Minho diverted his gaze from the dining area and stabbed at a sausage on his plate. "We'd better, but my gut's saying that these shanks could be up to something."

Newt nodded in agreement before stifling a yawn. "Good that Min," Newt said, "but if its quiet now, I think I can stand to get some bloody sleep before we get there." Before Minho could reply, Newt rose from his seat at the table and left to find space in the common room of the Berg.

Minho ate a few more bites and took a long sip of water. He slowly lifted his gaze from his plate and noticed a girl getting up from the table closest to the entry way to the common room. He put down his utensils and studied her features. Same warm tan-ish skin, same jet black hair, and shucking nice legs. Yeah, he was sure that it had to be her – the girl he saw while fighting the bulb monsters. She left the room and Minho pushed away his plate, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stood up and headed in the same direction.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked into the common room, scanning the space for any sign of her. He saw some of the other Gladers trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep, some of the girls from Group B already fast asleep, and Thomas sitting on a couch in the room, lost in thought. He almost thought about sitting down next to the shank he wanted to nominate as the new Keeper of the Runners but then he saw Teresa join Thomas on the couch. Yeah, no way was he going to sit anywhere near that traitor.

"Hey, you gonna sit or just stand there?" a girl's voice asked him.

Minho snapped his head around, looking for the voice.

"Yeah I'm talking to you," the voice added. "You're the one who was fighting next to me."

He looked down to his left and saw that it was the girl he had checked out during the fight with the bulb creatures. She was sitting on the ground, arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes were closed. Her dark hair was gathered in a braid that rested on her left shoulder.

"Ain't gonna stab you Stick," she added with a sigh. "My blade's gone – think those sticks manning this thing took it during shower time."

Minho scoffed as he sat down next to her. "I got these bad boys," he said as he flexed his arms. "And I'm pretty fast anyways – I was the Keeper of the Runners in my maze."

The girl pried an eye open and she smiled faintly at his comment. "Yeah? Well I was second-in-command in mine of the Runners."

"What, you're not fast enough to be the first?" Minho asked. He then wished he could kick himself for letting that come out uncensored. Smooth Min, real smooth.

The girl's eyes flew open and she narrowed them as she shot back, "Nah because Queenie Bee Harriet wanted her precious little Sonya to run the show. Psh, I swear those two should just walk the aisle already."

Minho chuckled at her last comment and ran a hand through his hair. He should have been a little weirded out by talking to his Group B equivalent but, honestly it felt…okay. So yeah, her hair was better than his, although he'd never say it out loud, her legs were really good looking for a girl runner, and he was liking what she was saying.

"So what's your name the creator shanks gave you?" Minho asked.

"Maria," the girl replied. "According to Rachel, she said they named me after some independence activist who got tortured pretty badly. What's yours?"

"Minho," he said. "Dunno who I'm named after."

"I'm gonna guess the scientist," Maria said. "Yeah nice to meet ya." She glanced over at Teresa and Thomas, shaking her head as she looked back at Minho.

"What are your thoughts on that Teresa chick?" Maria asked.

Minho twisted his mouth in a snarl and he curled his fingers into a fist. "Hate that shucking traitor," he growled. "She got Thomas worried about her shuck butt and then she turns around and is screaming at him like a crazy Crank."

"Great, glad to know that I'm not alone," Maria said. "She came waltzing in from nowhere and kicks Her Royal Highness and Loyal Servant off their high horses and says she's calling the shots from now on. Thought Harriet and Sonya lost their minds when she was bossing us around. Sometimes I just wanted to cut her pretty little mouth off and shut her up."

Minho softened his gaze as her eyes met his. His smile widened at her description and he knew that he definitely liked his counterpart more after that. Maria leaned her head against the wall and broke her gaze, turning to look straight ahead.

"Wasn't so hot about Aris either," Maria continued. "Weird little stick – scared, twitchy, and always clinging to Rachel like a lost puppy. But I gotta admit, I did feel for him when Beth killed Rachel. …For a newbie, she was pretty smart – figured how to get out of the maze thanks to her. I kicked Beth's butt for him afterwards." She looked back at Minho and frowned. "Say, did your group lose someone at the end when you escaped?"

Minho swallowed hard and nodded sharply. He looked down at his hands and replied, "A shank named Chuck. Youngest in the Glade – probably 12 or 13. Didn't have much talent but he was close with Thomas. Gally threw a knife at Thomas but Chuck took it for him. Had to pull Thomas off Gally though – he was pounding him until he was bloody."

Maria lowered her head and shook it. "Geez. This Chuck guy moved in front of Thomas?"

"Yeah."

"Wow," Maria said. "I really hate these Creators." She closed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "I'm not sure about their promises. Not sure its over yet. But I have a feeling this is the only time I'm gonna get to rest before its too late. You gonna call it quits too?"

Minho stretched his arms out and yawned loudly. Sleep was starting to get to him too and it sounded like a good idea. He leaned his head against the wall near Maria's and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"See ya later Min," Maria said.

"Later…Mari," he said before sleep consumed him.


End file.
